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22 May, 2012

Spiced Herbal Tea

This post
might seem out of place in this hot weather but if you happen to be allergic
like me, this time of the year makes it worse with the increase in pollen
grains in the atmosphere. From its calming effects, to its positive digestive benefits and
its natural cold plus cough relieving properties, this is a herbal tea that all
can benefit from.

This tea
is my saviour, the only drink that makes me say Yay! when I'm down with sore
throat or cold. It works instantly and makes me feel good for a few hours after
I've had it. The recipe is just basically adding all the herbs I have in my
garden with some pepper corns and cumin. To make it tastier, add a squirt of
lemon juice and sweeten it with the sweetener of your choice. I prefer mine unsweetned.

Serves 3

Preparation
time: 3minutes

Cooking
time: 4 minutes

Ingredients
I used:

500ml Water

1tsp Pepper corns

1tsp Cumin seeds

1 inch piece of Cinnamon

10-12 Mint leaves

10-12 Holy basil

1 leaf of Lemon Grass

1/2 inch Ginger

Lemon juice to taste
(optional)

Sweeten to taste (optional)

Procedure:

1. Crush
the cinnamon, pepper corns and cumin seeds using a mortar and pestle. Crush or bruise the
herbs and ginger.

2. Add
the herbs and spices to water in the tea pot and microwave it for 3 minutes on
medium power and then 1 minute on high power. You can use stove top to boil the
herbs in water, it's just faster in the microwave.

1. If you
are very sick or about to fall ill, use 250ml of water for the given amount of herbs, make a strong
decoction and drink it warm in one go. Trust me, you will feel better instantly
n all the sneezing will vanish.

2. You
can also place all the crushed herbs into a flask and add hot water to it, let
it steep for 15 minutes and then keep sipping the warm goodness all day long till you
get better.

3. If you
cannot handle spiciness of ginger and pepper reduce their amount.

Health and Nutrition:

Peppercorns
contain impressive list of plant derived chemical compounds that are known
to have disease preventing and health promoting properties. Peppers have
been in use since ancient times for its anti-inflammatory, carminative,
anti-flatulent properties. Black peppercorns contain good amount of
minerals like potassium, calcium, zinc, manganese, iron, and magnesium.
Potassium is an important component of cell and body fluids that helps
controlling heart rate and blood pressure. Manganese is used by the
body as a co-factor for the antioxidant enzyme, superoxide dismutase.
Iron is essential for cellular respiration and blood cell
production.

The
essential oils present in cumin act as disinfectants and help fight viral
infections which cause common cold. Cumin also does not let cough
formation in the respiratory system as it is supposed to be hot and dries
up the excess mucus. Cumin is rich in iron and has considerable amount of
vitamin-C, which are essential for a good immunity and keeps infections
away. One can easily compare the vitamin B complex capsule with cumin
seeds due to its magical healing properties. Just like B complex capsule,
cumin does not only help in treating digestion related problems but also
induces good sleep. Remember that cumin seeds can help you greatly by treating
insomnia and restlessness. It provides soothing effects to your mind which
leads to sound and restful sleep.

Ginger
has enjoyed the status of being the traditional medicine for the treatment
of cough, cold and congestion in the fields of ayurveda and naturopathy. The
extracts of ginger namely the ginger beer and the ginger ale are used as
stomach settlers for generations in many countries due to their properties
of being good analgesics and sedatives - a ginger benefit.

Mint
has sedative, disinfectant and cicatrizing properties. It can be
successfully used in gastro-intestinal disorders; it helps the liver and
calms indigestion. It contains menthol, menthone, menthofuran, a-pinene,
limonene, cardinene, acetic aldehide, isovaleriana, vitamin C and
antibiotic substances. It is recommended in cases of asthma,
bronchitis and the flu because of its antispasmodic and sedative
properties. Sinusitis can be treated with mint also, because menthol is a
vasodilatator of the nasal mucous membrane. It can be used as an inhalation
in small amounts as well as for chest massages.

The tulsi/
holy basil have many medicinal properties. The leaves are a nerve tonic
and also sharpen memory. They promote the removal of the catarrhal matter
and phlegm from the bronchial tube. The leaves strengthen the stomach and
induce copious perspiration. Holy Basil has been shown to be helpful in
the treatment of a variety of serious allergic, inflammatory and
infectious disorders affecting the lungs and related tissues. Generally
supports healthy pulmonary function.

Lemon
grass is rich in a substance called citral, the active ingredient in lemon
peel. This substance is said to aid in digestion as well as relieve
spasms, muscle cramps, rheumatism and headaches. In a study that was
conducted it has shown that every 100g of edible lemon grass, when boiled
can contain up to 24.205 micrograms of beta-carotene the powerful
anti-oxidant that scientist believe can help prevent cancer.

Cinnamon is used for colds,
flatulence, nausea, diarrhea, and painful menstrual periods. It's also
believed to improve energy, vitality, and circulation and be particularly
useful for people who tend to feel hot in their upper body but have cold
feet in traditional Chinese medicine. In Ayurveda, cinnamon is used as a remedy for diabetes, indigestion
and colds, and it is often recommended for people with the kapha
Ayurvedic type.